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What is a SEER Rating?

Get more mileage out of your air conditioner by considering its SEER rating

When considering a major investment like buying a new air conditioner, it’s important to consider more than just the sticker price. The long-term cost of the machine will be dependent on how efficiently it uses fuel. For instance, if a car shopper couldn’t decide between a similarly priced SUV and sedan, they should consider each vehicle’s MGP or average miles per gallon. The gas guzzling SUV will probably cost the owner more in the long run because it has a lower MGP.

The same rules of fuel efficiency apply to the HVAC industry. If you want to save money on utilities and long-term operating costs, buy an energy efficient A/C. SEER ratings are intended to give buyers insight into how energy efficient air conditioners are.

What is a SEER Rating?

If you’ve never shopped for a new air conditioner before, you’re probably scratching your head and wondering “what is a SEER rating?” The acronym SEER stands for “seasonal energy efficiency ratio.” SEER ratings express the ratio of cooling power in British thermal unit (BTU) to the energy consumed in watt-hours. SEER ratings are expressed in numbers, which may make it difficult to understand what the SEER rating means without some additional context.

As a rule of thumb, the higher a unit’s SEER rating, the more energy efficient it is. The US government requires all new air conditioners to have a SEER rating of at least 13. The most energy efficient air conditioners may have a SEER rating as high as 25. However, be aware that high SEER ratings are usually accompanied by expensive price tags.

What’s Considered a “Good” SEER Rating?

Click image to enlarge. Source: www.consumer.ftc.gov

As a general guideline, installing an air conditioner with a higher SEER rating than your current unit will yield you energy savings. Check the yellow Energy Guide label on your current air conditioner to see what the SEER rating is. A SEER rating lower than 13 indicates that your HVAC unit is probably quite outdated; anything new that you buy today will have a SEER rating of 13 or higher.

On the other hand, there’s no such thing as a “perfect” SEER rating, because the HVAC unit that you choose will ultimately depend on your budget. A higher SEER rating comes with a higher price tag, so determine a reasonable budget before you start shopping.

The energy efficiency of your new air conditioner will also ultimately depend on the energy efficiency of your home as a whole. For instance, a shaded house will require less cooling energy than a house exposed to full sun. If your goal is to save money on utilities, keeping your home well shaded and insulated is the best way to accrue energy savings.

Do SEER Ratings Really Matter?

SEER ratings indicate how energy efficient an air conditioner was designed to be under “ideal” conditions. However, the conditions in your home may be less than ideal. Many factors influence the temperature in your home, including the region in which you live, the size of your home, the ductwork and insulation in your home, and how shaded your home is.

Outside temperatures can have a big impact on the efficiency of your air conditioner. For instance, someone who lives in Arizona and experiences 100+ degree summers should know that when it’s over 90 degrees degrees outside, their air conditioner is most likely operating under its SEER rating. That’s because it’s operating in conditions that are colder than the “ideal” conditions used for testing. Extreme temperatures cause your air conditioner to work overtime, consuming more energy in order to keep your home comfortable.

Take SEER readings with a grain of salt, and be aware that the region in which you live, and the condition of your home will have the biggest effects on the operational efficiency of your air conditioner. SEER ratings are useful for comparing units in order to determine which unit is more energy efficient. However, buying an air conditioner that corresponds to the size of your home, and keeping your home well shaded are the two best ways to save money on utilities.

What is a SEER Rating?

Get more mileage out of your air conditioner by considering its SEER rating

When considering a major investment like buying a new air conditioner, it’s important to consider more than just the sticker price. The long-term cost of the machine will be dependent on how efficiently it uses fuel. For instance, if a car shopper couldn’t decide between a similarly priced SUV and sedan, they should consider each vehicle’s MGP or average miles per gallon. The gas guzzling SUV will probably cost the owner more in the long run because it has a lower MGP.

The same rules of fuel efficiency apply to the HVAC industry. If you want to save money on utilities and long-term operating costs, buy an energy efficient A/C. SEER ratings are intended to give buyers insight into how energy efficient air conditioners are.

What is a SEER Rating?

If you’ve never shopped for a new air conditioner before, you’re probably scratching your head and wondering “what is a SEER rating?” The acronym SEER stands for “seasonal energy efficiency ratio.” SEER ratings express the ratio of cooling power in British thermal unit (BTU) to the energy consumed in watt-hours. SEER ratings are expressed in numbers, which may make it difficult to understand what the SEER rating means without some additional context.

As a rule of thumb, the higher a unit’s SEER rating, the more energy efficient it is. The US government requires all new air conditioners to have a SEER rating of at least 13. The most energy efficient air conditioners may have a SEER rating as high as 25. However, be aware that high SEER ratings are usually accompanied by expensive price tags.

What’s Considered a “Good” SEER Rating?

Click image to enlarge. Source: www.consumer.ftc.gov

As a general guideline, installing an air conditioner with a higher SEER rating than your current unit will yield you energy savings. Check the yellow Energy Guide label on your current air conditioner to see what the SEER rating is. A SEER rating lower than 13 indicates that your HVAC unit is probably quite outdated; anything new that you buy today will have a SEER rating of 13 or higher.

On the other hand, there’s no such thing as a “perfect” SEER rating, because the HVAC unit that you choose will ultimately depend on your budget. A higher SEER rating comes with a higher price tag, so determine a reasonable budget before you start shopping.

The energy efficiency of your new air conditioner will also ultimately depend on the energy efficiency of your home as a whole. For instance, a shaded house will require less cooling energy than a house exposed to full sun. If your goal is to save money on utilities, keeping your home well shaded and insulated is the best way to accrue energy savings.

Do SEER Ratings Really Matter?

SEER ratings indicate how energy efficient an air conditioner was designed to be under “ideal” conditions. However, the conditions in your home may be less than ideal. Many factors influence the temperature in your home, including the region in which you live, the size of your home, the ductwork and insulation in your home, and how shaded your home is.

Outside temperatures can have a big impact on the efficiency of your air conditioner. For instance, someone who lives in Arizona and experiences 100+ degree summers should know that when it’s over 90 degrees degrees outside, their air conditioner is most likely operating under its SEER rating. That’s because it’s operating in conditions that are colder than the “ideal” conditions used for testing. Extreme temperatures cause your air conditioner to work overtime, consuming more energy in order to keep your home comfortable.

Take SEER readings with a grain of salt, and be aware that the region in which you live, and the condition of your home will have the biggest effects on the operational efficiency of your air conditioner. SEER ratings are useful for comparing units in order to determine which unit is more energy efficient. However, buying an air conditioner that corresponds to the size of your home, and keeping your home well shaded are the two best ways to save money on utilities.